Cycle
by TheWabbajackX
Summary: (Persona AU and Retelling) Minato Arisato's adventures in Tatsumi Port Island take him and his friends from ordinary school students to a force fighting against the encroaching darkness. Unbeknownst to them all, a secret game of chess is being played with all of them as pieces.
1. Settling In

A blue haired boy sat alone on a train, rubbing his sleepy eyes that matched the color of his hair. He had his school uniform on, albeit casually applied. Black pants with a matching jacket over it, a white undershirt exposed in the middle. A red button with a black and white hourglass was on the left top side of his jacket. A black bowtie hung from his white collar, accompanied by an MP3 player that descended to his belt. The MP3 player was his signature item. He was never seen without it, save to bathe or swim. He would have his earphones on, even when he wasn't listening to anything. He just enjoyed having them on.

The boy rose from his seat and exited the train. The moon was high in the sky. He shook his head, annoyed that he had missed the entire day, confined to the inside of a train. No time to play video games, read, or even explore Tatsumi Port Island. His music kept him entertained, but he could only listen to the same songs over and over before he went mad. He checked the clock on his MP3 player. Only a few minutes until midnight. He wouldn't be able to talk to anyone at the dorm until tomorrow.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden fall of darkness all around him.

"Huh?" he said, rather alarmed. He clicked the buttons on his MP3 player, which had suddenly stopped. Silence greeted him. His eyes were drawn to the moon hanging in the sky. It was an ominous yellow, and the entire city was cast in a green glow. The people wandering in front of the train station had disappeared, replaced by thick red coffins. The boy had a puzzled look on his face. He didn't remember reading anything about this in the brochure. Everything was the same as he wandered down the street. Coffins, eerie green glow, and no power or people anywhere. No streetlights lit up windows, glowing billboards, or anything. He continued to fiddle with his MP3 player, trying to get it to start up. No luck. "Damn." He put it out of his mind and followed the map to the Iwatodai Dormitory. The boy quickly walked along to reach the dorm, unnerved by what he was experiencing. He hoped to find somebody there to explain this madness. With a sigh of relief, he found himself in front of the dorm. The windows were glowing, meaning there was light inside. And, hopefully, that meant people. The boy reached for the door and pulled it open. He walked inside and was greeted by a very cozy lobby. There was a green carpet with brown walls lining the room. A TV was tucked in a corner with a small sitting area to the right of it. A mahogany reception desk was to his left. "Nice."

"You're late," a voice said. He turned and saw a boy with short hair and wearing striped black and white pajamas at the desk. Deep blue eyes gazed with mystical curiosity at him. He was resting his head on his hands. "I've been waiting a long time for you." His voice was very soft and childlike.

"Yeah, sorry," he replied. "The train ride here was really daunting. Farther than I realized. Say, do you know anything about what's going on outside? The power doesn't work anywhere else, and everything is green. They didn't say anything about that in the brochure I got." The boy in the striped pajamas snapped his fingers and appeared right in front of him. The blue haired boy jumped back a little, startled slightly.

…_ER….O…._

Minato blinked, having heard a faint word being uttered. Yet, nobody had spoken.

"Now, if you want to proceed, please sign your name there." The other boy pointed to a maroon folder on the desk beside them. A quill stood right of it.

"A quill?" the blue haired boy asked. "Fancy."

"It's a contract," the striped boy said. The contract flipped open by itself. The blue haired boy glanced nervously from it to the other boy. "Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know. The usual stuff."

"Well, why wouldn't I?" the boy asked, reaching for the quill. He figured it must have been one of those liability claims, in case of damage done to his room. He scribbled his name on the bottom line.

_Minato Arisato._

"There," Minato said. He handed the contract back to the boy, who took it with a smile. "Sorry about forcing you to stay up waiting for me. Anything else I need to take care of real quick?" The boy shook his head.

"No one can escape time" he said, stepping away from Minato. "It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." The boy turned the folder sideways, and it completely disappeared. Minato suppressed a gasp in his throat. The lights dimmed, and the shadows descended over the boy. "And so it begins." Minato backed away from the shadows and clung to the remaining light inside. The warm light changed to green, like the outside.

"Ah hell," Minato said nervously. "More of this." He thought about calling out for someone, but he didn't want to wake anyone up. It was still midnight, after all. He kept his voice low. "What is going on?"

_ER…O….A…_

Minato's brow was furled, perplexed by the voice he just heard. Nobody else was around.

"Who's there?" a girl's voice shouted nervously. Minato turned to see a girl standing in front of a hallway. She had auburn hair and wore a pink sweater. A big red bow sat on her collar, a heart shaped choker on her neck. A red sleeve band thing was around her arm. She wore a rather short black miniskirt and wore black stockings with white lines on the sides. They started under her knees and descended down to her feet, which had brown shoes over them. Minato thought she was kinda cute, but she seemed really nervous. Her hand was twitching.

"Oh, hi," Minato said. "Did I wake you or something? I'm sorry. I got here late and-" The girl was panting rather heavily. "Hey, are you okay?" She pointed something at him. It was a gun. "Whoa, whoa!" He held his hands up at her. "Take it easy! Can you even have that here?"

"Takeba, wait!" another girl's voice called. The Takeba girl turned to see another taller woman behind them. She had long maroon twirling hair that rested on her shoulders. She also had one of those red sleeve things. A red bow sat on her collar, and a long black skirt descended below her knees. She had black stockings with heels. This woman was very elegant and carried herself with authority. Minato found her to be very pretty as well. Minato jumped when music blared into his earphones. The lights returned to the building, removing the green glow entirely. The two girls smiled with relief at one another.

"Well," Minato said. "That passed."

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late," the redheaded woman said.

"Well, that makes two of us," Minato said with a slight laugh. The Takeba girl also laughed a little.

"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo," she said. "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

"Who's he?" the Takeba girl asked.

"He's a transfer student," Mitsuru said. "It was a last minute decision to assign him here."

"Yeah, about that," Minato said. "Who do I ask about that, because I never got an answer to that question."

"He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm," Mitsuru said.

"Is it okay for him to be here?" the Takeba girl asked.

"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru said with a smirk.

_That's comforting, _Minato thought to himself.

"This is Yukari Takeba," Mitsuru stated. "She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"Hey," Yukari said nervously. Minato extended his hand to her, which she took and shook.

"Maybe we'll have some classes together," he said. "My name is Minato Arisato. Nice to meet you. So can I ask about the, uh, gun?"

"H-huh?" Yukari asked nervously. "Um…. Well, it's sorta like a hobby. Well, not a hobby, but…"

"You know how it is these days," Mitsuru said, looking down at her own gun. "It's for self defense. It's not a real gun, of course."

"So it's a fakeout?" Minato asked.

"Y-yeah, kinda," Yukari said.

"That's actually pretty clever," Minato said.

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest," Mitsuru said. "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there."

"I'll show you the way," Yukari said. "Follow me." She turned and began walking down the hallway, with Minato in tow. They walked up the stairs in silence, with Minato suppressing a yawn. They reached the end of the second floor, and Yukari stood beside the end door. "This is it. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one," Minato said. "Which room does that one kid live in? The guy that had me sign the contract? He seemed kinda cool, I guess. I could use somebody to hang out with. Would make the school year way less lonely."

"Huh?" she asked. "What contract?" Minato had a puzzled look on his face.

_Did I imagine that contract? And him? I mean, I AM pretty tired. It's happened before._

"Um, can I ask you something?" Yukari asked.

"Go for it."

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?" Minato opened his mouth to answer but said nothing. He thought over what he had witnessed. It made absolutely no sense.

_Did I imagine that, too? God, I must be losing it. Suppressing all those emotions over the years is finally taking its toll. I didn't think this would happen until my college years!_

Minato began to sweat, his anxiety flaring up. He wasn't sure what he imagined and what was real. So he opted for his fallback plan: lie and pretend everything was fine.

"Yeah, everything was fine," Minato lied. Yukari gave him a look, like she knew he was fibbing.

"I see…." she said. "Never mind, then."

_Nailed it._

"Well, I'd better get going," she said. "I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Minato said. "I'm pretty tired, and I'm sure you are too. Again, sorry to keep you guys up waiting for me."

"Don't sweat it," Yukari said. "Good night."

"Night," Minato said. He watched her walk down the hallway and disappear into the shadows. The boy opened the door to his room and walked inside. His room was furnished with a desk, bed, sink, mini fridge, and other amenities. His stuff was placed in a corner in various boxes. On his bed was a bare mattress. "I'll put the bedding on tomorrow." He yawned and climbed onto the bed, lying on his stomach. Sleep hit him like a bullet, claiming him immediately upon impact of the mattress.

_P….NA…._

* * *

The birds chirped outside, filling the morning air with a tranquil Zen. Minato finished brushing his teeth and spit into the sink, washing it down the drain. He had managed to furnish his room a little but decided to do the rest after school. A knock on his door caught his attention.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

"Nope," Minato said cheekily as he opened the door. "I'm actually not here."

"Very funny," she said with a smile. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Great, actually," Minato said. "Haven't slept this well in a long time. Of course, I probably would've had a much better sleep if I had put my bedding down. But I was just so lazy at the time." Yukari laughed slightly.

"That sounds a lot like Junpei," she said.

"Junpei?"

"He's a guy that goes to my school," she said. "Speaking of which, Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you there. It's getting late, so are you ready to go?"

"Ready," Minato said. "Lead the way."

* * *

Minato and Yukari had taken the train to Gekkoukan High School. It was a very fancy looking building, with lush green grass and cherry blossoms swaying in the breeze. The architecture was very artistically designed and looked to be crafted from pure marble. A blue gate surrounded the building. The two students walked side by side down the sidewalk approaching the school, listening to the chatter of all the other students headed to school.

"Well, this is it," Yukari said. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it."

"Fancy digs," Minato said. "Bet the guys who own this place have a lot of money."

"Well, it is owned by the Kirijo Group," Yukari said. Minato blinked at the mention of "Kirijo".

"Kirijo?" he repeated. "Mitsuru?"

"Yeah," she said. "Her family owns the school."

"Not bad," Minato said, genuinely impressed. He followed her inside, stopping at the lockers.

"You're okay from here, right?" she asked. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is to the left, and that's pretty much all you need to know. Any questions before I go?" Minato thought for a bit.

"Nope," he said. "I'm good. Should be able to find everything well on my own. Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Yukari said. She turned to go to her classroom but swiftly turned back to him. "About last night? Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?" Minato nodded, understanding her referring to the gun.

"Secret's safe with me," he said.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "See you later." The two waved and then parted ways. Minato looked around the crowded lobby, alive with the sounds of people talking to one another.

_Okay_, he said. _See my homeroom teacher first. Where do I find that out?_ His attention was brought to the sight of several people standing in front of a bulletin board. _Hmm. What's that about?_ Minato walked up to the board and shuffled his way through the crowd to reach the front. A list of class rosters had been tacked to the board, with the names of various students listed under teachers' classrooms. Minato scanned the papers for his name, eventually finding it written on a small sticky note tacked on the page for Class F. _Way to make me feel welcome. And Class F? That's not foreboding. Where do I get my schedule at? Faculty Office, maybe?_ Minato walked away from the board and made his way to the Faculty Office, following Yukari's instructions. He slowly opened the door and peaked inside.

"Anyone here?" he asked. There were various desks with dozens of books organized and stacked on top of them. A short haired woman with a brown suit turned to him.

"Oh, are you the new student?" she asked, her voice very calming and casual.

"Yes, ma'am," Minato said. "Minato Arisato. Eleventh grade." The woman smiled slightly.

"I'm Ms. Toriumi," she said. "I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"Thank you very much, ma'am," he said, bowing his head slightly. She smiled again.

"You're very polite, Mr. Arisato," she said. Ms. Toriumi turned her attention back to his file. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places." Minato had been transferred to various schools and locations for undisclosed reasons. It was very peculiar to her, as she had never seen a record like this before.

"I suppose I have, ma'am," Minato said. Minato himself couldn't remember any of the locations he had been prior to Tatsumi. Or that he had been anywhere else. He attributed to the memory problems he struggled with through his life.

"Let's see," Toriumi said, gazing over the file with great curiosity. "In 1999, that was, what, ten years ago? Your parents…." She cut herself off with a gasp. Minato seemed confused. "I'm sorry. I've been so busy. I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

"Oh," he said, finally realizing what she meant. Toriumi was very confused by his casual demeanor. "Sorry. Bad memory. And it's early in the morning." The death of his parents was something he also didn't remember. In fact, he didn't remember them at all. No clue as to what they were like, whether they were good parents or not. He only knew what happened from hearsay. Some explosion or something. Minato felt a little guilty about not feeling sad about their deaths, but his ignorance to his own plight did provide him with bliss in its own way.

"Well, I didn't mean to open any potential wounds," Toriumi said. "If you need to talk about it, you can talk to me, okay?"

"I appreciate your concern, ma'am, but I can assure you that I am fine," Minato said. Toriumi merely nodded in response.

"Have you seen your classroom assignments?" she asked. "You're in 2F. That's my class." Minato smiled slightly.

"Oh, good," he said enthusiastically. It felt good to know that his homeroom teacher would be a fairly attractive woman.

"But, first, we need to go to the auditorium," Toriumi said. "The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon."

"Oh. Good." Minato's tone was less enthusiastic. Toriumi laughed a little.

"It won't be that bad," she said. "Plus, it's less time you have to do school work."

"Well, there's that," Minato admitted.

* * *

"As you begin the new school year…." The principal droned on with his half winded speech, boring the students tremendously and forcing the teachers to put on a false sense of enthusiasm for the sake of their jobs. The auditorium was packed with over a hundred students, all wanting for the speech to end quickly and mercifully. Their hopes were in vain. "I'd like each of you to remember this proverb: If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well. When applied to student life, this means…"

"Psst," a voice whispered into Minato's ear. "Hey. New kid." Minato glanced back at the boy behind him.

"Talk at me, kid," he whispered.

"You came to school with Yukari this morning, right?" he asked. "I saw you two walking together."

"Yeah," he said. "She showed me around. She's pretty cool."

"Hey, I have a question," he asked.

"Shoot."

"Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

"No clue, buddy," Minato said. "Sorry."

"I see," he said. "I thought you might know."

"I could ask her for you when I see her," Minato said.

_That's not gonna be awkward._

"How well do you know her?" the boy asked.

"I hear talking," a loud voice said. "I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class." Minato had a look on his face that was a mix of shock and confusion.

_How ignorant an assumption to make._

"Shh!" Toriumi hissed. "Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

"Sorry, ma'am," Minato said. He looked over his shoulder to see a goofy looking man hunched over with snaggly teeth in his mouth and a blue pinstriped suit on his body. "The hell's up with that guy?"

"Mr. Morooka?" the boy behind him whispered. "We call him "King Moron". He's a prick."

"That much is obvious," Minato said.

* * *

School finally ended, and the majority of the students had cleared out. Only a few small pockets remained. Minato had finished packing up his books and slid the backpack over his shoulder. A boy walked up to him. The boy had the same uniform on as him, except he had a blue collared shirt underneath it. A dark blue baseball cap sat on his head. A goatee sat on his chin, and a chain hung out of his pocket. Minato thought he looked kinda cool.

"Sup, dude?" he said casually. Minato sat beside this kid in Toriumi's class.

"Hey, man," Minato said. The two shook hands firmly.

"How's it goin'?" he asked.

"Eh," Minato said. "Can't complain. School's nice, and Toriumi-sensei's pretty hot." This caused Minato to receive a perplexed look from the boy he was talking with.

"Dude, she's, like, twice your age!" the boy said.

"Your point?" The boy shook his head and decided to ignore that comment.

"Anyway, I'm Junpei Iori," he said. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Minato Arisato. Yukari mentioned you a bit."

"Ahh, Yuka-tan," Junpei said. "I'm sure she told you about how awesome I am."

"Well, I told Yukari that I was too lazy to make my bed last night to sleep in it, and she said that was something you would do." Junpei deflated a bit, his ego bubble burst.

"Of course she did," he said flatly. "You're the transfer kid, huh?"

"You got me."

"I know how you must feel," Junpei said. "I transferred here when I was in the eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid."

"It's not too bad," Minato said. "Nobody's beat me up yet. And the most that's happened is that I got asked a bunch of questions about where I used to live. Although, my memory is garbage, so I couldn't give 'em much." The two turned to see Yukari walking towards them.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpei said with a smile.

"Heya," Minato said.

"I didn't think we'd be in the same class again," Junpei said.

"And with me as well. Welcome to Hell," Minato said teasingly. Yukari sighed.

"At it again, huh?" she said. "I swear you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"Nah, Junpei's cool," Minato said. "Right, dude?" Junpei grinned and nodded at him.

"See?" he said. "New guy gets it. By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon! Gimme the dirt!"

"Oh, yeah," Minato said. "During the principal's bore-fest, some guy behind me wanted to know if you had a boyfriend, Yukari." Yukari blushed slightly.

"Sure," Junpei said, nudging Minato's ribs. "Wink wink."

"No," Minato said. "Not "wink wink". He wanted to know."

"I gotcha," Junpei said. "Wink wink."

"No."

"We just live in the same dorm," Yukari said, rolling her eyes. "There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it? Now, you have me worried." Yukari looked away from Junpei and over to Minato. "Hey, you didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"

"Mum's still the word," Minato said. Yukari smiled.

"Okay, good," she said. "But seriously, don't say anything about last night, alright?" Junpei's eyes widened, a look of shock on his face. It did not go unnoticed by Yukari. "What?"

"Last night?" Junpei said. Now, Yukari was the one looking shocked.

"W-wait a minute!" she said defensively. "Don't get the wrong idea! Listen, I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us!"

"Not even friendship?" Minato asked, faking heartbreak.

"W-well, I didn't mean it like…." Minato couldn't hide the smirk on his face. "You ass." She punched him in the shoulder, which he nursed with a laugh. "But seriously. Tell him, Minato."

"All I'll say is that she did whip something out," Minato said. "Take that in whatever context you desire." Junpei couldn't suppress the laugh that burst from within. Yukari punched him again.

"Minato!" she said. "Don't fuel the fire!"

"But it was funny," he said. "And I love a good joke." Minato and Junpei high fived, which got an eye roll from Yukari.

"Great," she said flatly. "Look, I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But you better not start any rumors!" Yukari turned and left the room. Junpei merely shrugged.

"Ahh, who cares?" he said. "No one takes rumors seriously, anyway."

"In all seriousness, though, me and Yukari really don't have anything going on," Minato said. "She's just a little paranoid."

"No kidding," Junpei said. "But, hey, it's your first day here! And people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!"

"So I guess I'm popular by association, then," Minato said. "Works for me."


	2. Velvet Room

"Did you hear the rumor?"

"Oh, um… something about a bathroom?"

"No! Not that one! I mean the story about the first year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, "It's coming! It's coming!" It's really weird!"

Minato listened to the two gossiping girls, intrigued by the rumor. It sounded like local superstition, but he tucked it away in a file inside his mind for future reference. He still wasn't completely convinced he hallucinated that power outrage from exhaustion. The blue haired boy hurried his way into the school and weaved through all the students to Toriumi's class. Minato took his seat behind Yukari, with Junpei to his right. The bell rang, and Toriumi entered the room. The students all removed their textbooks from their backpacks and began to flip through them.

"Open your textbooks, and we'll take a look at the first novel by…. Zenzou Kasai." She turned her nose up at the name. "Ugh, why him? I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. Well, I'll just bring Kubota's textbook next time." She scanned the classroom and found Junpei's eyes to be wandering out the window. "Hey, Junpei!" He nearly jumped out of his seat. "Were you listening?"

"Wha?" he asked. "Oh, yeah! Of course."

"Then who did I say was my favorite author?" Junpei gulped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Umm…. It was…" He took a quick glance over at Minato and muttered through the corner of his mouth. "Who does she like?"

"Utsubo Kubota," Minato muttered, also out of the corner of his mouth.

"Utsubo Kubota, of course," Junpei said with a grin. Toriumi looked rather surprised by his answer.

"That's right!" she said. "So you were listening to me after all!"

"Heh," Junpei said. "Well, you know how I like to pay attention!"

"Pfft," Minato uttered, suppressing a laugh. Yukari merely rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath.

"Man, you saved my bacon, pal," Junpei whispered. The two bumped fists.

"Got your back, buddy," he said.

* * *

Minato entered the dorm, getting back from exploring the town. He clowned around at the mall, playing arcade games. The day had been lost of the opportunities to study or explore the town, but it was worth it to him. He saw Yukari sitting with a middle aged man with long brown hair, a goatee, glasses, a turtleneck sweater, and a brown jacket with matching pants.

"Oh, he's back," Yukari said.

"So this is our new guest," the man said in a friendly tone. He rose from his seat and walked over to Minato, shaking his hand. "Good evening."

"Hello, sir," Minato said.

"My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. Hard to say my last name, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it's harder to spell," Minato said. The two laughed.

"It's why I don't like introducing myself," Ikutsuki said. "Even I get tongue-tied sometimes. Please, have a seat." Minato followed them over to the sitting area and sat down on the brown couch beside Yukari. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment."

"That's fine," Minato said. "I'm in no hurry." Ikutsuki nodded, impressed by the young man's polite demeanor.

"Is there anything you'd like to ask?" he asked.

"What brings you here?" Minato asked. "Couldn't just be to talk to me."

"To welcome you but also to discuss things with Mitsuru," Ikutsuki said. "Speaking of which, where is she, Yukari?"

"She's upstairs," Yukari said.

"As diligent as always," Ikutsuki said. "Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello."

"I've been meaning to ask," Minato continued. "Who else lives here?"

"There are only four students in this dorm," Ikutsuki said. "You, Yukari here, Mitsuru, and a senior named Akihiko Sanada."

"Seems a bit of a waste to just only have four people," Minato said. "But I don't mind the space."

_So that freaky kid in the striped pajamas doesn't live here. Unless he's the senior. He seemed a bit too young to be a senior. Maybe I hallucinated him. I was really tired that night._

"Well, I'm set."

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year," Ikutsuki said.

"Thank you, Mr. Ikutsuki," Minato said. "I hope things turn out well for you."

"I appreciate that," Ikutsuki said. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" Ikutsuki left the two to their own accord and made his way to Mitsuru's room. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early." Minato felt a yawn escape his mouth, as if on cue. "As they say, "the early bird catches the bookworm."" Ikutsuki laughed at his attempt at a pun. Minato shook his head. Yukari scoffed.

"You'll get used to his lame jokes," she said. Minato rose to his feet, stretching out his back.

"He is right, though," Minato said. "I'm pretty tired. Think I'll call it early. Tell Mitsuru I said "hi" if you see her."

"Will do," Yukari said. "Good night."

"Night," Minato said. "Don't stay up too late."

* * *

Minato was lying curled up in his blankets, forcing himself to set up his bed before promptly passing out in it. He slept heavier than the dead. His image appeared on a terminal panel inside a large command room. An enormous computer lined the wall, with various readouts displayed on it. Mitsuru and Yukari sat at the computer while Ikutsuki watched them.

"Working hard?" he asked. "So how's he doing?"

"He went to bed a little while ago," Mitsuru said. "He's asleep now. Mr. Chairman, do you think he's..?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now," Ikutsuki said. "The Dark Hour is approaching." The lights in the room faded, the familiar green color from the night before wafting over the area. The three of them turned to face the image of Minato's room. He was still asleep in his bed, curled up and looking very peaceful. "Hmm. He's still sleeping. Very curious. He should have transformed into a coffin, but he's still asleep."

"Then, he must be…" Yukari started.

"Perhaps," Ikutsuki said. "He has retained his human form. He's asleep, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not he has the potential. Although, he must. If he didn't, they would've preyed on him by now."

"Scary," Yukari said with a shudder.

"In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days," Ikutsuki said.

"Yes, sir," Mitsuru said.

"I feel kinda bad, though," Yukari said solemnly. "Spying on him like this." The three began a debate on the ethics of their actions, which Minato was completely oblivious to. He was having his own experience, deep within the confines of his mind. White and black checkerboard tiles flashed in a dull spotlight. A blue door appeared through the darkness, opening up with a hiss and blinding him with a bright light. Minato found himself standing inside an enormous blue elevator, a gold clock attached to a large blue metal grate behind two odd figures. A short man wearing a suit with a long nose and crazy eyes was sitting at a table. To his left was a cute girl wearing a long blue stewardess dress, boots, and a hat. She had short white hair and yellow eyes. A large thick book was clutched in her hand. Minato found himself sitting in a chair before them.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," the man said, his voice very weasely sounding. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Igor extended a hand to point out the girl. "This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you," Elizabeth said with a sweet smile, her voice like a mischievous child's.

"Where am I?" Minato asked. "Is this a dream?"

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor explained. "You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later. My, it's been years since we've had a guest."

"Well, I'm honored to be your guest… "Minato said. Igor waved his hand and summoned a familiar maroon folder. Minato recognized it immediately.

"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place."

"So that's what that was," Minato said.

_So was that kid working for him, too? _"Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room."

"Why me?" Minato asked.

"You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so."

"What ability?" Minato asked.

"All in good time," Igor said. "I only ask one thing in return."

"Which is?"

"That you abide by the contract and assume reasonability for the choices you make," Igor explained.

"Well, of course," Minato said.

"Excellent," Igor said, very impressed. "Hold on to this." A blue light flashed before him, and a key fell into his lap.

"A key?" Minato asked. "For what?"

"Til we meet again," Igor said with a wink. The image of Igor and Elizabeth faded before him into the darkness. Minato grew worried, but his eyes grew heavier and heavier. All his worries faded away as sleep took him.

…_.PER…..O…..NA…._


	3. Awakening

Junpei and Minato walked to school together, with Minato silently listening to Junpei's ramblings. He was reflecting on the strange dream that had occurred last night.

_Velvet Room…_

_Elizabeth…_

_Igor…_

_What could it mean? Maybe it was just a weird dream. But I usually forget all my dreams by now. Why not this one, too? Was it just so vivid?_

"Man, today is the perfect day!" Junpei said with a grin. "The sky is blue, and we're young! What more could we ask for?" Minato laughed.

"Look at you getting all soulful," Minato said. "You're full of energy today."

"Of course, but, dude, listen to this," Junpei said. "Oh, wait. I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Aww, come on," Minato said. "I told you about me and Yukari."

"But THIS is true, though," Junpei said. "Sorry, man." Minato sighed and followed Junpei to class. The two of them took their seats, with Yukari in there waiting for them. The room was filled up, and the teacher stepped inside. He was a tall and handsome man with a grey suit. He cleared his throat.

"Ahem, I'm Mr. Ekoda," he said. "I'll be teaching you Classic Literature. I'll be teaching you about good old Japan all year. Some people say Classic Lit isn't relevant to everyday life, but oh, how they're wrong! The students, the other teachers…" Minato and Junpei exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. "Wrong, wrong, wrong!" The two boys jumped back in their seats at the sudden outbursts.

_Jesus._

"Nobody really understands Classic Lit," Mr. Ekoda continued. His ramblings only continued from there.

"Yo," Junpei whispered. "I'm gonna catch a few z's. Keep an eye out for me?"

"Gotcha," Minato replied. Junpei tilted his head down and allowed to sleep to overtake him. Dreams of cute girls and fast cars dominated his dreams.

"Hey, are you all listening to me?" Mr. Ekoda asked, after his irate disposition had died down a bit. Wake up, children!" Junpei jolted up, doing his best to play it off as though he had not been sleeping.

"So much for that," he whispered, which earned him a frown from Junpei.

"First on our syllabus is "Ise Monogatari", the origin of Japanese culture," Mr. Ekoda said. He attempted to relate to the students through use of "hip" lingo, but every effort he made ultimately fell flat. Junpei had dozed off, and Minato was diligently taking notes.

* * *

Junpei copied Minato's notes from Mr. Ekoda's "lecture" when the last bell rang and thanked him at least a dozen times for letting him. Minato was all too glad to help his new friend. After school ended, the two walked home together, taking a shortcut through Port Island Station. They discussed various topics, like video games, girls, and the like. The two eventually parted ways, and Minato made his way back to his dorm. He snacked a little, showered, did his homework and then retired. The dorm was strangely quiet today. No one was around. Mitsuru and Yukari were gone, and he had yet to see that boy in the striped pajamas anywhere. Before he finally fell completely asleep, Minato swore he heard something being whispered to him. The same voice trying to tell him the same thing from the last two days.

…_ERS…NA…_

Unbeknownst to him, Mitsuru and Yukari were spying on him on the top floor, with Ikutsuki at their side. The lights eventually faded, and green overtook the town. The clock has struck twelve, and the Dark Hour was upon them.

"How is he?" Ikutsuki asked.

"The same as last night," Mitsuru replied. Like last night, Minato was still peacefully asleep and blissfully unaware of the creeping green haze blanketing them all.

"Hmm…" Ikutsuki took a seat on a small purple chair behind them, crossing his legs. "Very interesting. Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. Memory loss, disorientation…"

"Minato told me he has a bad memory," Yukari said. "He's said he's had it all his life and can't remember things like his childhood."

"Interesting, but I'm uncertain it's related," Ikutsuki said. "Memory loss and bad memory aren't necessarily one and the same."

"I still feel a little bad about this, though," Yukari said solemnly. "We're treating him like a guinea pig."

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members," Ikutsuki said. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"

"I guess," Yukari said, still not completely convinced. "But still…" A loud ping interrupted her thoughts. Mitsuru pressed a button on the terminal she was sitting at.

"Command room," she stated. "Is that you, Akihiko?"

"You're not gonna believe this," a voice said. "This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk. It's chasing me! I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there." The three people in the room exchanged looks of shock and surprise.

"Does that mean he's bringing that thing here?" Yukari asked, apprehension tying a not in her chest.

"Mr. Chairman!" Mitsuru stated, rising from her seat. "Let's suspend our operation for now. We'll prepare for battle!" Her voice was stern with authority.

"R-right," Ikutsuki said nervously, not equipped for combat like the two girls were. "Be careful!"

Way down below in the lobby, a young boy burst through the front door, locking it behind him. He slumped to the floor, clutching his arm. He wore a long white shirt with a bow on the collar and a sleeveless red sweater over said shirt. Black pants and shoes accompanied them. He had white short hair and a bandage on the left side of his forehead.

"Akihiko!" a voice called out. He slowly looked up and saw Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki running for him. Mitsuru was the first to get to him, swiftly sliding to his side. She reached out to touch the arm he was clutching so tightly.

"Agh!" he gasped when he touched it. She pulled her arm back quickly.

"Senpai?" Yukari asked.

"I'm alright," Akihiko said, exhaling heavily. "Get ready to be surprised. It'll be here any second."

"This is no time to joke around!" Mitsuru said sternly, annoyed by the stern yet smug look on his face. She was worried enough about the creature headed for them, but her nerves were shot from seeing Akihiko injured.

"Is it one of them, Akihiko?" Ikutsuki asked, stepping up to him.

"Yes, but not an ordinary one," he said. Yukari let out a small shout when the building shook vigorously.

"What the?" she said. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Mitsuru removed her gun from its holster and grasped it firmly in her right hand.

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!" she stated. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake Minato up! Then escape out the back!"

"But what about you two?" Yukari asked worriedly.

"We'll stop it here," Mitsuru said, looking down at Akihiko. "You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

"Like I had a choice!" he said with a glare. He looked back at Yukari, who was still standing over him. "What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!"

"I-I'm going!" she said. Almost leaping with every step, Yukari bolted for the stairs and scaled them like a mountain. She slid in front of Minato's door and pounded loudly on it.

BANG BANG!

"Wake up!" she called loudly.

"Hmm?" Minato said groggily, jolting up from his bed. He shook his hair out of his eyes. "Alright, hold on." He pulled the blanket off of himself and slid his pants on.

"Sorry, I'm coming in!" The door clicked open, and she slid inside. Minato noted her panicked expression.

"Yo, where's the fire?" he asked. "Something up?"

"I don't have time to explain!" she said. "We have to get out of here now!" Before Minato could inquire further, the building shook once more, as though something had struck it. "Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" Minato quickly put his shoes on, preparing to run. "Take this just in case." Minato looked up and was surprised to see Yukari holding a short sword.

"What the hell?" Minato asked with genuine shock. "Are you a part of the fencing club, too? And how are you allowed to have this in the dorm?"

"Let's go!" Yukari said, pulling him out of his room.

_No answer? That's cool, too._

Yukari led him downstairs to the back door and reached for the doorknob. She was interrupted by a beeping stemming from her radio.

"Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru asked nervously.

"Hi, Mitsuru!" Minato quickly said.

"Y-yes, I read you!" Yukari nervously replied.

"Be careful!" Mitsuru warned. "There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting ISN'T the one Akihiko saw!"

"What the hell!" Minato said. "We're under attack? I'm so confused. What is happening right now?" A loud bang on the back door scared them both. Yukari leapt on the tiptoes of her foot and nervously clutched Minato close. She was holding onto him with such force, he felt she would pull him to the floor. Another bang came from the other side of the door.

"L-let's pull back!" Yukari said, pulling on Minato's close as she led him up the stairs.

"Don't tear the uniform, please!" Minato said. As the made it to the upper floor, the sound of the door bursting open could be heard. Odd shuffling and rattling sounds followed it.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "They're downstairs!"

"What's downstairs?" Minato asked. The sounds were growing louder. Something was coming up the stairs. Instinctually, Minato swung his short sword out in front of him and had it pointed at the ground. His eyes burned with great intensity, like a switch had just been flipped deep beneath his subconscious.

"We could hide in your room…" Yukari said, thinking out loud. "No, that wouldn't work-"

"Here's the plan," Minato stated. "Whatever is inside this building is making its way up to us. The only logical thing to do is to put as much distance between us and whatever is downstairs as we can. We head to the roof and hold our own." Yukari was surprised by his words and the tone with which he spoke them with. His casual demeanor had evaporated, replaced with one of authority. He spoke with such strength in his voice, like an old warrior. "We're out." Minato turned for the stairs and swiftly navigated upwards. Yukari ran after him, struggling to keep up with him. He was running incredibly fast, and she was barely hanging onto his heels.

_He's leading me, and he doesn't even know what's happening…_

Minato burst through the door at the top floor, exposing them to the outside. Yukari followed him out and locked the door quickly. The sky was green, and the moon was yellow. Puddles of blood sat on the floor. Minato stared at the moon intensely.

"So I didn't imagine it.." he said to himself. A sigh interrupted his thoughts.

"I think we're okay for now," Yukari said between breaths. Another loud banging shook the building, and Minato readied his sword in response. Several loud squishing sounds took their attention. They turned around and saw several inky black hands reaching over the edge of the roof. A blue hockey mask rose over the edge, being held up by one of the lanky black arms. The various arms raised sharp swords up in the air, and the black unidentifiable masses shambled towards them.

"Those monsters," Yukari said. "We call them Shadows." Minato put himself in front of Yukari, pointing his sword at the shadow monster. Yukari swiftly removed her pistol and pointed it at her head, panting heavily. Wincing, she pulled the trigger. A loud magical whooshing rang through the air, and several blue and black striped swirls obliterated the shadows right before their very eyes. After the smoke cleared, one shambled after them, having survived the onslaught. With a gasp, Yukari went to pull the trigger but dove out of the way of the monster. With a loud whoosh, Minato had swiped right through the monster with his sword, turning it to smoke. Its sword clattered at his feet beside Yukari's pistol, which she had dropped while jumping out of the way. Another masked monster was creeping on them, and Yukari was curled up in a ball on the ground. Minato stared at the pistol with curiosity. Yukari had shot herself in the head, yet she was still alive. No bullet was fired, and when she shot herself, the monsters were killed.

_Go on…._

The voice from before. He could recognize it now. It was the voice of the kid in the striped pajamas.

"There!" From the command room, Akihiko had managed to find Minato and Yukari on camera. Mitsuru and Ikutsuki were at his side. The two seniors rose from their chairs and ran for the door.

"Wait," Ikutsuki said. The two turned their eyes back to the footage, which showed Minato picking up Yukari's pistol. He stared at it in his hand, feeling lighter than what he thought a gun would be. Thoughts of Yukari putting it to her head ran through his mind. As did that word.

That word…

That word!

That word that had been haunting his thoughts for the past two days. He could only make out faint bits of it. The boy was trying to tell him something. The word had finally been pieced together in his head. Little by little, it came to him. He gently guided the gun to his head, his arm flowing like water with the motion. His heart beat slowly in his ears, and he let out a heavy breath, preparing himself. He was unsure as to what would happen, whether it would hurt or not. But he had to know what Yukari did. And if it could save them.

Slowly, he uttered that word. The word that he didn't quite understand. Yet, it meant something important. He was sure of it.

"Per….so…. na…." The gun clicked when he pulled the trigger. A sound like shattering ice rang through the air, and a burst of blue energy erupted from his head where the gun would've shot through had it had bullets. His eyes glowing bright blue, and smoke drifted upwards from the barrel of the gun like a fish through water. Small blue shards whirled around him. Yukari stared at him in amazement, feeling the raw power emanating from him. Minato could feel it as well. It was like nothing he had ever felt before in his life. Yet, at the very back of his subconscious mind, there was something there. Something ultimately familiar.

"Thou art I," a voice spoke. "And I am thou." A figure appeared slowly out of the energy that surrounded Minato. "From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings." A large metallic figure floated high above Minato. It had a silver metallic body, with white porcelain legs hanging from its hips. Shiny silver joints acted as its knees and elbows. A red scarf was wrapped around its neck. It had a black face with red eyes and white hair. An enormous white and silver lyre sat on its back. It roared at the shadows.

"As we suspected…" Mitsuru said, watching the feed in amazement. Minato grasped at his head in pain, which surged through his body. Orpheus began to twitch erratically, his body contorting into itself. Two long black arms wearing white gloves reached out from where his head had tucked into his body, and an enormous figure burst from his body, shattering it to pieces. A giant humanoid monster with a black trenchcoat stood on pointed white porcelain legs with gold ends. It had a mask that was shaped like a reptile's skull. Chains and maroon leather harnesses held an array of several coffin lids on its back. With a bird like screech, it raised a sword and pointed it to the sky. It leapt high into the sky, silhouetting itself against the yellow moon. Mitsuru gasped in shock at the sight of the creature.

"What on Earth is that?" Akihiko asked. Ikutsuki had no explanation for what he just saw.

It pounced upon the small shadow and grasped it firmly in its fingers and then cut right through it. Yukari saw Minato acting out the motion in sync with the giant monster. The severed gooey arm of the shadow flopped before her like a fish on the deck of a boat, before Minato stomped it into submission. The giant monster was panting heavily, its distorted breathing sending chills down Yukari's spine. It let out a roar of victory, which echoed through the silent air. In the blink of an eye, it had disappeared and had been replaced by Orpheus. The mechanical figure landed on the roof and knelt before Minato.

"Is it over?" Yukari asked.

"Orpheus," Minato stated with authority. "Of Greek legend. I know not of what you did, but I thank you for your aid."

"Twas not I," he said. "But another. Someone had sent aid to thou." A gargling roar interrupted their conversation. Two masked shadows crept upon them. "More approach!"

"Orpheus, lend me your aid!" Minato called. "To protect Yukari and my other friends."

"I am thou Persona, to do as thou pleases," Orpheus stated. "Your battles are mine."

"Then let us see the power you and I share," Minato said. Yukari could hardly believe what she was hearing and seeing. Minato spoke like a man who had done this thousands of time before. Minato slashes at one shadow, injuring it majorly. The other shadow dove for him, grabbing at him with its gooey hands. Minato slid his body back, narrowly dodging the creature, and kicked it away. The other shadow took this opportunity to charge at him, catching him off guard as it swiped Minato. He retaliated with a clean swipe, killing the creature, but was knocked to his feet by the other. Minato removed Yukari's pistol from his pocket, spinning it in his hand, and shot himself in the head. Orpheus slung his lyre over his shoulder and gripped it in his two hands. The metal being raised it high over his head and slammed it down hard onto the shadow, causing it to evaporate upon impact. Orpheus turned to nod at Minato and then faded away. Minato was panting heavily from the fight, unused to combat. Yet, he had achieved victory. Protected his friends and the dorm. "Nailed it." With a heavy sigh, he fell to his knees and hit the floor. Yukari let out a gasp and ran to his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Minato elicited no response. "Come on! Say something!" She grabbed his arm and shook it. Nothing. Yukari let out short panicked breaths at the prospect that her friend may have just died. She put a hand to his chest and was relieved to find a steady albeit faint heartbeat. The door behind her burst open, and she turned to see Mitsuru and Akihiko running towards them, their footsteps clacking loudly on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Akihiko asked.

"Can you hear me?" Yukari asked, shaking Minato furiously. "Please! Answer me!" Minato refused to awaken. His attention was instead being diverted elsewhere. To deep within his subconscious mind. A black and white checkered floor appeared through the shadows below him. A blue glow drove the darkness back, and a door swung open. Minato's vision cleared and found himself sitting before Igor and Elizabeth.

"It's so nice to see you again," Igor said with genuine fondness.

"Wish we had met under better circumstances," Minato said. "What happened to me?"

"You became unconscious when you awakened your power," Igor explained. "It's nothing to worry about, though. So, just relax."

"That feeling in battle," Minato said. "I felt different from my usual self."

"Your survival instincts," Igor explained. "They manifest something in all humans."

"No, it was more than that," Minato said. "I took charge with such authority. I've never done that before."

"You're a natural born warrior," Igor said. "It's your destiny."

"Destiny, huh," Minato repeated flatly. "Not sure I believe in such a thing."

"You're not required to believe, my boy," Igor said. "But you cannot deny what you saw."

"Suppose not." Igor chuckled. "How did I summon a Greek mythological hero to fight for me?"

"Excellent to see you hold a taste for the arts. That power is called a Persona. It's a manifestation of your psyche."

"Interesting choice," Minato noted.

"It may take some time to fully comprehend. You see, a Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. You can think of it as a… mask that protects you as you brave many hardships." Minato considered offering a smartass remark about masks not making good body armor but found himself too interested in Igor's words. "That being said, your power is still weak."

"That's some kooky definition of "weak" you got there," Minato said. He remembered seeing Orpheus transform into an even larger and nastier looking Persona. "Weak how?"

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links."

"My what now?"

"Your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability."

"How do you measure that?" Minato asked. "You have, like, bar graphs or something?"

"Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer."

"But I still have questions. Can we schedule something?"

"Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then, farewell." Minato's vision began to fade, and the sounds around him faded. As Minato disappeared from the Velvet Room, Igor turned his head to look at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, did you have something to do with that little display on the rooftop?" Elizabeth merely fluttered her eyelashes and swung her legs in a cutesy fashion.

"Who? Me?" she asked sweetly. Igor merely laughed.

"I recognize Thanatos anywhere, my dear," he said.

"I just wanted to play," Elizabeth said with a giggle.

"All in good time, my dear," Igor said.

Minato opened his eyes and found himself being carried by Orpheus. The Persona being sat him down and knelt before him.

"Thou shalt awaken soon," Orpheus said.

"Then we don't have much time," Minato said. "I have questions, and I wish for you to answer them."

"I shall answer them as best I can," Orpheus said.

"You are Orpheus," Minato said. "THE Orpheus?"

"Aye verily."

"Does that mean yes?"

"Aye verily."

"Right," Minato said flatly. "You're Orpheus, and yet you're also this thing called a Persona?"

"Aye verily."

"Don't start that again." Minato shook his head. "Personas are manifestations of the inner self. A mask to protect myself. External stimuli. So Personas change due to experiences in the outside world."

"Ave verily."

"I swear to God," Minato said flatly. "I don't have time for your crap. I need to figure this stuff out now."

"Patience," Orpheus said. "Thou shalt know all in time."

"I'd just rather know it now," Minato said.

"I art afraid thou shalt not have the opportunity now," Orpheus said.

"And why's that?" Orpheus lifted his hand to the sky, and the darkness transformed into a piercing white light. Minato had barely a chance to react before it swallowed them both up. The boy drifted in obscurity, uncertain as to what was happening. He then began to feel weight, on his arms, back, and everything. The faint hum of a machine lingered faintly into his ears. A soft warmth enveloped his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes, now fully aware of the world around him. He was in a small room, lying on a bed against the wall. The beige furniture complimented the floor. See through curtains fluttered in the morning breeze. It looked like a hospital room.

"You're awake!" With a faint yawn, Minato turned his head to see Yukari sitting on a stool beside him. She climbed off of it and embraced him warmly. Minato was put off by her sudden display of affection but didn't dare complain. To him, hugs were great. Hugs from girls were even better. Especially cute girls. Yukari quickly pushed off of him and stood at the side of his bed. "So… how do you feel?" She rubbed her left arm, feeling awkward. With a strained grunt, Minato held his arms out from him and stretched them along with his back.

"Oooh…." he said softly. "I feel…. great, actually! Like I could take on the world." Minato looked around for the others but only found the two of them.

"Thank goodness," she said, relieved. "You finally came to." With a small laugh, she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. Minato smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "How much sleep do you need? It's been a whole week."

"A whole week?" Minato shouted. "What the hell! It didn't seem like that long. Boy, I've got a lot of school to make up."

"How would you know how long it was?" Yukari asked.

"I had a… dream," Minato said. Yukari gave him a strange look. "Didn't make much sense when I said it out loud, either."

"Well, I was so worried about you," Yukari said sincerely. "You saved my life, you know? So I couldn't just leave you here."

"You didn't have to stay here," Minato said. "But I appreciate it. And don't sweat the whole "saving your life" thing. I got your back." Yukari smiled. "So what's been new?"

"Not much, really," Yukari said. "Homework, Junpei's antics, the usual. You've got a lot of homework to catch up on."

"Tell me about it," Minato said unenthusiastically.

"The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you," Yukari said. "He said you were just exhausted."

"Did you tell him why?" Minato asked.

"No…" Yukari said.

"Man, that doctor's gotta be so confused. So I was just tired?"

"Yeah. It was weird. You just kept sleeping and sleeping. Do you know how worried I was?"

"Sorry about that," Minato said. Yukari glanced down at her feet.

"Um.." She didn't look up. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. Even though, I was supposed to protect you, I-"

"Forget about it," Minato said. "And besides, you did stuff. You took out several of those shadows. Made my job easier." Yukari laughed slightly.

"Your power," she said. "It was amazing."

"Eh, it was alright, I guess," Minato said, holding his hand out and tilting it side to side. "Orpheus could stand to learn a bit more attacks than just smashing stuff with his lyre."

"Yeah, about that," Yukari said. "You… talked to Orpheus. And he talked to you."

"Is that weird?" Minato asked. "Well…. weird-er?"

"Kinda," Yukari said. "None of us can do that, and we've had our Personas longer."

"That IS weird," Minato said. "Maybe it's like a…." Yukari stared at him, looking for answers. "I've got nothing." Yukari merely shrugged. "So those things we fought. What were they?"

"Shadows. We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"I'm sure I'll manage," Minato said, sitting up in his bed. He suppressed a smile at the thought of surprising everyone with what Igor told him. Yukari turned around and stared out the window, taking in the warm sunlight on her soft skin.

"Can I… tell you something?" Yukari asked.

"Shoot."

"I'm sorta…. like you."

"Elaborate." She turned back to him.

"My dad died in an accident when I was little," she said somberly.

"Oh."

_Must've read my file. Serious time._

"And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms…"

"….Sorry to hear that." Minato was taking great care to approach the situation delicately. He didn't want to upset her in any way.

"You're all alone too, right?" Yukari immediately felt regret for asking the question, afraid she just offended him.

"I guess," Minato said. "I don't think about it much. I barely remember anything." She let out a silent sigh of relief.

"I felt it didn't seem fair for me to know all about your past and keep you in the dark," Yukari said. "So I wanted you to know about mine." She glanced down at her feet, the sorrow in her chest swirling around in a faint miasma. "It was back in '99. There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened."

_Explosion. Sounds…. familiar…._

"He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group."

_Ooh. _Minato felt a pang of awkwardness jolt his body.

"So I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High and why I was there when this happened to you."

"I didn't mean to make you relive all that," Minato said lowly.

"It's fine," Yukari said. "It's only fair. Sorry I wasn't much help back there on the roof. It was my first time fighting them, too."

"You were scared," Minato said. "No amount of training can prepare you for fighting a monster. Don't beat yourself up."

"But you wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward-"

"It's fine," Minato insisted. "It was a perfectly natural human reaction. And you did kill some."

"…Yeah," Yukari said, a hint of confidence in her voice. "I did."

"Heh," Minato laughed.

"Listen," Yukari said. "I've kept so much from you."

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

"But it's not fair."

"Life's not about what's fair," Minato said, and then proceeded to stretch. "It's about what is."

"But I want things to be different," Yukari said. "No more secrets between us. Okay?"

"You sure?" Minato asked teasingly. "No takebacks."

"I'm positive," Yukari said with a smile. The two shook hands firmly. "I'm gonna let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? Be a good patient, and don't hesitate to call the nurse. I'm sure she'll take good care of you."

"Hell yeah," Minato said. Yukari scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Bye," she said and left the room.

"Peace," Minato said. He removed the blanket so he could get up and stretch his legs. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the lack of pants. He was wearing his tight fitting spandex underwear. With a blush gently creeping over the tips of his ears, he pulled the blanket over his crotch. "What the hell! Where's my pants? You don't just take a man's pants off without his permission. What kinda sick place is this?"

* * *

Far from human eyes, a man sat on a marble throne, covered in exotic carvings. He wore a ragged trenchcoat over faded burlap clothes held together with old ropes. He had pale skin and had long black hair that hung down to his shoulder blades. He eye in his head were pure white save for the small black pupils at the center with yellow edges. He twirled a kukri knife in his hand, gently raking the blade against the marble. Shadows hung over the area, with faint slivers of light managing to peak through before being ultimately swallowed. A skinny shirtless man approached him and knelt before him. He had tattoos running down the sleeves of both arms. His blue jeans were torn slightly near the top, and boots were tucked inside the pant legs. Long wavy blonde hair reached down to his shoulders. He stared up at the man on the throne with his yellow eyes burning with intensity.

"Master, another Persona user has awoken," he said. His voice was low and smooth.

"I am aware," the man on the throne said, very matter-of-factly. He enunciated the vowels firmly, and his voice fluctuated from a normal level to a very low and gritty one.

"Let's deal with him then." The two men looked over at a younger man standing in the corner. He had short blue hair that was slicked to the left and had matching blue eyes. He wore a green thick jacket with black strips and wore navy blue jeans. One of the faint slivers of light reflected off of his orange tinted glasses. "His Persona just woke up. We can wipe him out now." He spoke with a whiny voice.

"Why bother?" the man on the throne asked. "Hardly worth my time." The glasses boy scowled at him.

"We can take them!" he complained. "Takaya and I can-"

"You will not."

"I don't understand why we're sitting here and allowing them to grow stronger!"

"Precisely why YOU are the subordinate and I am the Master!" The glasses boy pouted in the corner. He looked over at the woman in the corner, who was paying no attention to them and was intently focused on drawing in her sketchbook. She wore a white Lolita dress and has long red hair with ribbons. "We will watch them for now. They could prove quite useful."

"And if they're not?" the glasses boy asked.

"Then we smear them into the ground," he growled. "Do not test me. You will have your fight. As will I."


	4. Debriefed

Evening had settled over the city as Minato entered the dorm. It had been his first day back at school. He was glad to be back and see Junpei and his fellow students, but he was unprepared for the barrage of questions they thrust upon him. He answered them to the best of his abilities, having to carefully omit the parts about Personas and shadows. His answers were a bit too vague for their liking, but he managed to get off the hook. Before school had started earlier that day, Yukari had intercepted Minato and told him that Ikutsuki-san was holding a meeting on the fourth floor and wished for him to attend. He was disappointed that he and Junpei couldn't hang, but it must have been quite important on Ikutsuki's end.

The lounge was strangely empty, not having been devoid of activity since the day he first arrived. Minato merely strode through the desolate lounge and glided up the stairs. Each floor he passed was empty, devoid of all people. It continued like this until he reached the fourth floor, where he saw Yukari standing outside a pair of doors. She opened them and quietly waved him in. Minato followed her inside where the others were waiting, sitting around a mahogany table. Mitsuru was sitting on a maroon leather couch with four green throw pillows. Ikutsuki was sitting on a maroon leather armchair at the end of the table. There were three small felt chairs lining the remaining side of the table, where a white haired boy in a red sweater vest happened to be sitting in one. A large silver suitcase was on the table.

"Ahh, there you are," Ikutsuki said. "I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you. Please, have a seat." Yukari sat on the couch next to Mitsuru, and Minato sat on one of the small chairs. "I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko."

"How ya doin'?" Akihiko asked. Minato nodded with a small smile.

_Definitely not the kid in the striped pajamas._

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this," Ikutsuki started. "Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?" Minato merely blinked at him.

"…..well that would just be ridiculous," Minato said. Mitsuru giggled.

"I'm not surprised by your reaction," she said. "However, you've already experienced this truth firsthand. Do you remember the night you came here?"

"You know, for a while, I thought I had dreamt all that," Minato said. "Of course, recent developments have proven otherwise."

"The streetlights went out. Nothing was working, and there were coffins everywhere."

"Yeah, that was, uh, not enjoyable," Minato said. "Very odd."

"That's the Dark Hour," Mitsuru said. "A time period hidden between one day and the next." Minato struggled to form words.

"Bu-…. But that doesn't make any sense!"

"I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of," Ikutsuki said. "But the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight."

"Wouldn't it just be called "midnight" then?" Minato asked.

"You're overthinking it," Yukari said.

"It'll happen tonight and every night to come," Ikutsuki said.

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins," Akihiko said. "But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting."

"Would it happen to be those shadow monsters?" Minato asked.

"They only appear during the Dark Hour and attack anyone not in a coffin," Akihiko continued. "It's our job to defeat them." A small smile appeared on his face. "Sounds exciting, huh?"

"Akihiko," Mitsuru said, sounding rather cross. "Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day.

"Now now," Ikusuki said. "He does his work well." Yukari glanced over at Minato, who pointed his head twice at the two of them and then merged his hands together. Yukari suppressed a laugh, not wanting to cause Mitsuru any more annoyance. The two said nothing and sat back down, with Mitsuru folding her arms and glowering at Akihiko. "Long story short: we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. SEES for short."" Minato's eyes widened.

"Boy, that's… quite a name," he said. "You couldn't think of anything else? Maybe something less convoluted?"

"Well, we were going to go with "SHIELD", but somebody else beat us to it," Mitsuru said.

"How is SHIELD less complex than SEES?" Minato asked.

"Anyway…" Akihiko said.

"On paper, we're classified as a school club," Ikutsuki said. "But, in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader, and I'm the club advisor."

_So that's why he speaks to her more than anyone else._

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey," Mitsuru said. "The victim becomes a living corpse."

"That's an oxymoron," Minato said. "It would make more sense to refer to them as "undead". Undead are the dead that have been re-animated, but that doesn't make them alive. A corpse is just dead. You can be alive and dead at the same time…." An icy glare from Mitsuru ushered him into silence.

"Right," she said. "Well, regardless, they're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"So I guess you use your Personas to fight them, right?" Minato asked.

"Correct," Ikutsuki said. "Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. They can only be defeated by Persona users. Which means it's all up to you guys."

"Wait, just us?" Minato asked. "What about the cops?"

"No good," Akihiko said. "Shadows are beings manifested from emotions. They can only be defeated through magical means."

"What a copout," Minato said. He looked at the others. Counting himself, SEES consisted of four people.

_Some army._

Mitsuru flipped open the suitcase and revealed a gun similar to her's and Yukari's.

"What he's trying to say is that we want you to join us," Mitsuru said. "We've prepared an evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

"Evoker," Minato said slowly, looking at the gun.

_So it doesn't fire actual bullets but rather awakens the Persona within? How does that work?_

"Why's it a gun?" Minato asked.

"It's the act of pulling the trigger and shooting yourself in the head," Akihiko said. "It's supposed to scare you and push you to your emotional limits. This allows your Persona to awaken."

"I don't mean to rush you, but we really need an answer," Mitsuru said. Minato stared down at the evoker in silence. It looked like a real gun, except SEES was written in a fancy font on the side. Yukari gave him a pleading look. Minato counted them all again in his head. The shadows were quite dangerous, and the team would need everyone available if the innocent were to be protected.

"Eh, what the hell," Minato said. "I'm in." Yukari sighed with relief.

"I was afraid you'd say no," Yukari said.

"Well, I do kinda have to live here," Minato said. "Plus, I'm sure you could a lot more done with four Persona users rather than three."

"Thank you so much," Ikusuki said graciously. "I'm really glad. And as for your room assignment, why don't you just stay in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end."

"Works for me," Minato said. "Means I don't have to move my stuff."

_Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well, thank goodness I don't have to repack._

"Holdup?" Yukari asked. "But wasn't that-" The looks she got from the others tipped her off. "Oh. Nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore." Minato merely shrugged, left out of the loop. A puzzled expression took hold of his face as he felt a surge of energy in his chest, in his temples, behind his eyes, and in the back of his head.

_Orpheus?_

_Thou hast grown. Taken thine first steps towards thine goal._

_What does that even mean?_

Silence.

* * *

The fan hummed dully in the corner of the room. Minato needed the noise to sleep, for the silence drove him crazy. After the meeting, everyone returned to their rooms to do whatever they had planned. Minato had tucked his evoker in a place only he knew about, so no one could stumble in and find it. Even if it wasn't a real gun, he would get into enormous amounts of trouble if anybody found it. After hiding it from the world, Minato slipped into bed and fell asleep nearly immediately. No dreams ran through his head. Only darkness.

The humming fan then cut out, silenced by a shroud of green that enveloped the world. All electronics in the room were dead. The Dark Hour had descended upon them once more. However, Minato was blissfully unaware of it, nestled deep in his sleep.

"Hi," a soft voice said. "How are you?" A low grumble shook inside Minato's throat, his eyes straining themselves to stay open.

"Fan," he said, the noise gone. A chuckle drew his attention. He rubbed his eyes and saw the boy in the striped pajamas from the night before. "Oh. It's you." Minato was too tired to elicit a proper reaction from finding the boy in his room, considering the door was locked. "Who are you?" His voice was low and groggy.

"We've met before," the boy said softly. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"Good to know," Minato said, still not fully awake. He would process this information in the morning when sleep had recharged him. "The end of what, exactly?"

"The end of everything," the boy said. "But, to be honest, I don't really know what it is."

"Get in line," Minato said. His head wobbled side to side, still very much tired. He wasn't sure whether or not he was having a very elaborate dream.

"Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power," the boy said. "And an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms. Yet is bound by none."

"Yeah, Persona and all that…." A yawn escaped his jaws.

"It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."

"Mmm hmm," Minato said, suppressing another yawn.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"Yeah," Minato said, yawning.

"I expect you to honor your commitment," the boy said. "I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me."

"Just schedule an appointment in advance next time, alright?" Minato asked, his head falling onto the pillow below.

"Okay then," the boy said. "See you later." The boy's form faded into nothing, and the euphoric sound of the fan's hum returned to Minato. The Dark Hour had passed.

"What a nice guy," Minato said, half conscious.


End file.
